ConVal High School social studies teacher Chris Heider is the recipient of the Peterborough Rotary Club’s 2016 Rotary Teacher of the Year Award. He was honored in an assembly at the school Friday.

Nominated by two of his students, sophomores Lily Denehy, of Hancock, and Jessica Scharmett, of Temple, as well as a parent, Heider said Monday he was moved by the recognition.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Heider said. “It’s nice to kind of get that feedback.”

“[Heider] was recognized for the comprehensive depth of his knowledge in this field, for being a rigorous teacher with high expectations, for being caring and compassionate, and for instilling a desire to learn in his students,” according to a Rotary statement posted about the award on the ConVal High School website.

“Fellow teachers praised Heider for being ‘a role model for all of us’ and for continuously pursuing ‘the craft [of teaching] with passion and a deepening knowledge of content,’ ” the statement continued.

The Rotary Teacher of the Year is chosen annually from among the 225 full-time teachers in the ConVal School District.

Three finalists from each of the three school levels – elementary, middle, and high school – are selected, and one teacher from each school level is recognized as an Outstanding Teacher.

Then, a single teacher from the finalists is named Teacher of the Year.

Heider said he’s had an interest in history since high school, and enjoys helping students make connections between the past and present.

“They can apply it to situations today around the globe,” he said, noting he teaches global history.

Students have their say

Denehy and Scharmett said Heider’s passion for history and for teaching come through in the way he handles himself in the classroom.

“He engages the class in ways that aren’t just lectures,” Denehy said. “We can talk to him.”

Scharmett added, “He’s easily one of the best teachers I’ve ever had.”

Scharmett said being of student of Heider’s has opened her eyes about the world and about history.